


The Crack In The Hourglass

by KayDiggsWriting



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, First Time, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hamgelica, Happy Ending, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Time Skips, romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-25 23:58:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14389821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayDiggsWriting/pseuds/KayDiggsWriting
Summary: From their first meeting at the age of five, Alexander Hamilton and Angelica Schuyler knew their friendship was meant to last a life time.(You guys should know how shit I am at summaries by now. Please read. I promise it's better than it sounds)





	The Crack In The Hourglass

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to say a few things....  
> 1\. I have been writing random bits of this story so so fucking long and I'm so excited that it's finally done.  
> 2\. Thank you for giving it a try. It means a lot to me.  
> 3\. I suck a proof reading so excuse any errors.  
> 4\. Someone asked me for a happy Hamgelica so this is my attempt at that.

**_And we were five:_ **

"I don't want to be here." Alexander Crossed his arms over his chest. He stood in the center of the grass that was too green for his liking. Alexander Hamilton was never a fan of the color green. Green resembled gross stuff. Like goo. Or vomit. Or vegetables. He didn't like green and he never would. 

Rachel spared her son a glance. Half pitying. Half annoyed. She walked around him into the open front door. Ridding herself of the box labeled  _fragile_ by sitting it on top of the others. She flexed her fingers and went to retrieve the other boxes that were waiting in the moving truck parked on the curb. She didn't need to glance at her watch to know it was already well past two in the afternoon. The truck was only rented until four. If she didn't have that thing back in two hours there would be one hell of a late fee to pay. One she couldn't afford to pocket. At least not yet. She'd sit down and have a heart to heart with her boy when everything was done. For now, she needed to finish unpacking the large vehicle. 

Alexander looked up as his mother passed him on her way back to the curb. It was clear that he wasn't going to get the attention required for his temper tantrum to continue so he would wait. He was good at holding onto anger. Especially anger at having to leave behind his family and friends on the island. All so his mother could come to America for a stupid job with stupid people. He flopped down on the ground and waited. Ignoring how foreign the blades of grass felt under his fingertips. The sand back home felt better. 

"Um, hello?" A strong, male voice snapped him from his self sulking session. His tilted his head to see who it was without turning completely. There was a man he'd never seen before standing a few feet away from his mother. Of course it would be a man he'd never seen before. This was his first time in the states. Everyone here would be someone he'd never seen before. "I'm Philip, I live right next door." The stranger smiled at his mother. Alexander gripped the grass under his hands violently tight. Men weren't supposed to smile at his mother. Only his father was allowed to do that. His father who was still in Nevis. "Are you just moving into the neighborhood?"

"Yes." His mother reached out to shake the man's hand too happily for Alex's liking. "I'm Rachel. That's my boy Alexander."

He turned at the sound of his full name. Wincing at how uncomfortable the ground felt under his butt. Alex made sure to pull the ugliest face he could imagine. Maybe it would scare the man off. Maybe he could go back home with daddy and James.

"Hey there, Alexander." The man, Philip, waved at him like he was a baby or something. 

Alex stuck out his tongue and twirled back to his original position. This time not bothering to watch his mother from the corner of his eye.

"He's a little upset about moving to a new neighborhood." He heard his mother explaining for him. 

"How old is the little guy?" The big dumb head asked her.

"Five."

"My oldest girl is five."

"You have kids?"

"Three girls. Angelica, Eliza and Peggy." 

"I'm so glad there's other kids close by for Alex to play with."

"Yeah, my girls love making new friends." They both laughed that fake laugh grownups do. "Would you like some help with these boxes?"

"Yes please." His mother laughed again. "I feel like my arms are about to fall off."

Alex trained his glare on the stupid grass below him so he wouldn't see his mother and Philip walking to the house with the boxes. If he tried hard enough he could also block out the sounds of them laughing and talking as they made the trips from the door to the truck and then back to the door. He curved his fingers into the not sand and dug as far as the Earth would allow him. When his fist were full he snatched it up. Grabbing the grass from the ground. Leaving behind too small patches of dirt. He took a small sense of satisfaction in the digging. if he worked hard enough, he could have the entire yard covered in dirt before it was time to go in for dinner. He tossed the mess in his hand and dug into another section.

"Hey! Are you making mud pies? Because I make the best mud pies ever so you probably want my help."

For the second time in too sort a time, Alex heard a voice he didn't recognize. This time coming from beside him instead of behind him. The words didn't sound deep or manly. The opposite of that actually. His head lifted from the ground to stare in the direction of the perfectly painted white fence separating their little yard from their neighbor's larger one. Wide, brown eyes stared back at him through the space between the wood. He couldn't see anything more than the dark skin and white smile.

"I'm not making a pie." He grumbled when she didn't go away.

"Do you want to make one? I could help."

"No."

"That's okay. Daddy doesn't like when I make them either. I get all dirty." This girl really couldn't take a hint. "I'm Angelica Schuyler. What's your name?"

"Alex."

"That a cool name." He nodded and looked down at the dirt under his nails. "Both of our names start with and A. That cool, right?"

"Yeah." He answered even though he didn't know what was so cool about it.

"Hey, do you want me to come over and help you do... that?"

"No."

"Hey, is that my daddy?" And then louder. "Hey, daddy."

"Hey, Princess." Philip called over to Angelica. "Come over here and meet our new neighbors."

"Okay." There was too much excitement in her voice. Alex began digging faster. Hopefully he could have a hole big enough to hide into before she made it around the fence. But low and behold, his little hands weren't quick enough. The girl from across the fence was standing in front of him just a few short seconds later. He could see her completely now. She was smaller than he was. The bow in her hair and the bright dress she was wearing were both blue. "Hey, Alex."

"Hey." He spoke to the ground.

He heard her plop down onto the grass in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Digging up all the grass." To demonstrate he pulled another bit of it up.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like green."

"Oh." It was quiet for a moment as she considered his words. "Do you want me to help?"

His eyes darted to her face. "You want to help?"

"Yeah." Her fingers curved into the grass. "Sometimes I don't like green either." She snatched the blades from the ground and tossed them over her shoulder. Getting specks of dirt on her pretty dress and in her hair. Alexander smiled. Together they'd definitely be able to clear this yard before dinner.

 

**_And then we were ten:_ **

Alexander made a mad dash from the school bus to his front door. Ignoring the familiar scoldings of the bus driver as he went. His mother was standing at the table in the kitchen when he zoomed past it to get to his bedroom. He dropped his backpack on the floor and then he was on the move again. This time his mother yelled out to him before he could pass to the other side of the front door.

"Alexander!" A part of him wanted to ignore her. Another stronger, smarter part of him knew that was a bad idea. So he sluggishly made his way back to where she was waiting for him at the table. 

"Yes?"

"Can I get a hello? Maybe a hug and a kiss? I know I'm only your mother, but I  _did_ miss you while you were in school."

"Sorry, mom." He skipped to where she was standing. Rachel ducked her head to kiss her son on the cheek. 

"How was school?" He handed him half of the sandwich she finished making. Turkey and cheese by the look of it.

Alexander took it gratefully. Taking a bite of it that large enough to finish half of his half. And then, with his mouth still full of food he managed to say, "It was good. Learned a bunch of stuff. You know," he paused to swallow. "The usual."

"And where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Next door." He took another bite. Finishing what was in his hand. "Angelica said that her dad got her the new Nintendo game and I want to play it."

"Okay." His mother smiled. Giving him the permission he never waited for. She handed over the other half of the sandwich. "Don't stay over too late. Dinner is at six."

"Okay mom." He was already out the door before she finished her last sentence. 

The Schuyler family's home was much different from his even though they lived right next door. The only thing the two homes had in common was the white picket fence separating them. Well that and bright, green grass in their yards that never seemed to go away, no matter what season it was. While Alex's yard was modest at best, Angelica's yard was  _huge._ Sometimes it felt like he ran for minutes just to get to her front door. The Schuyler house was three stories high if you counted the attic. His own home was only one. There were bushes with flowers and trees with fruits surrounding the Schuyler property. While Hamilton and his mother had a singular maple tree growing just beside their front porch. 

All in all, it was no secret who was the wealthier family of the two. Not that it mattered. The Schuyler family didn't care about things like that. Which was just one of the many reasons Alexander was able to bond with them so quickly. 

He finally made it to the front door, breathing harder than he maybe should have. His lungs weren't the strongest and carrying around an inhaler was embarrassing. He pressed the door bell three times in a row as he always did. It was like his signal for everyone in the house to know he was coming over. It took no time at all for the door in front of him to swing open.

"Hello, Alex." Philip greeted with a smile.

"Hello, sir. I came to help Angelica with her homework." In class they decided that was going to be his excuse for coming over directly after school.

The man lifted his eyebrows in mild amusement. "Are you now?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you're not here to play her new game system?"

His face flushed with chagrin. "N-No sir."

Philip stepped to the side to allow him access into the house. "Don't sit too close to the television while you're playing."

"We won't, sir." He stepped into the house and stopped. Shit. Slowly, he glanced over his shoulder to where Mr. Schuyler was still standing. 

"Have fun, Alex." He laughed.

"Thank you, sir!" He forced himself to slow down as he went up the stairs. Philip always warned him about the danger of running up the stairs. He didn't want the man to scold him after he'd just caught him in a lie about helping his daughter with her homework. 

Angelica's room was the first one on the right on the second floor. They'd long since passed the boundaries of knocking on each other's doors before entering. So the girl on the other side wasn't surprised when her best friend burst into her room. Actually she was wondering what had taken him so long to get to her. She was sitting in the center of the bed  _actually_ doing her homework, bless her heart. 

"Alex, hey!" Her dimple flashed. Alexander could admit she had a cool smile. Especially the one when she showed all her teeth. "I'm almost done here."

"Is it the reading homework?" He took his place beside her on the large bed. Alex wondered why such a small girl would need such a big bed. "Because I finished that on the bus."

"No, Mr. Brag-a-lot." Angelica rolled her eyes in the way that friends do. "It's the math."

"We can do that later." Alexander pulled the pencil from her loose grasp."

 "Hey-"

"Right now I need to kick your butt in Nintendo."

"Oh you are  _on._ " She punched him arm. 

 

**_And then we were thirteen:_ **

Angelica was one of the most popular girls in the eight grade. People always said she was pretty. She dressed like the girls from her favorite Disney channel shows. Her feet were always covered by the newest pair of sneakers. Her grades made her honor roll worthy. And last, but certainly not least, she was a nice person. To  _everyone._ Even the goths and the nerdy kids.

Her best freaking friend was one of the nerdy kids. 

Not that Alexander was particularly nerdy. He just tended to spend more time reading and writing than most kids did. While everyone else was running through the aisles of the library, Alexander would actually sit on the center carper with some ridiculously large book in his hands. He was the odd ball kid who'd be writing essays during laptop time instead of playing online games like the rest of the class. Alexander was the only kid in her class, maybe even her entire grade, that was smarter than her. And Angelica loved him.

All this to say that Angelica was a near perfect person. There was no reason for anyone to hate her. Of course  _no one could please everyone,_ at least that's what her father always told her. So she should have expected one of the eight grade girls to start dubbing herself Angelica's arch nemesis. It was stupid, really. Like they were comic book characters and not school mates. That girl was Maria Reynolds. Someone Angelica had spoken to only two times.

The first being during eight grade orientation. The second being at the end of the school day when she and her younger sisters were waiting for their father to pick them up to take them home. Maria and two of her friends, who she didn't know by name, approached the sister trio. Angelica didn't know what to expect from the girl but she did know that it would not be anything good.

"I heard that you've never been kissed." Were the first words out of her stupid over lip glossed lips.

The words were so random and unexpected that Angelica's only verbal response immediately available was, "What?"

Maria was basking in her temporary stupor if her smirk was anything to go by. "Charles Lee told Martha," She gestured to the girl on her right, "That you haven't had a first kiss."

"And so what if she hasn't?" Eliza, her oldest little sister, snapped to her defense.

And though she meant well, she always meant well, she didn't help the situation. If anything, her question all but confirmed to the bully that what her friend told her was true. That Angelica still hadn't had her first kiss. And it was, but the one person who hated her more than anything didn't have to know that. She didn't even know having her first kiss was a big deal. What was so good about touching lips with some random guy in her class? It wasn't like she had a boyfriend or anything. Her father told her to wait until high school for that type of stuff. To her it sounded reasonable. Apparently Maria and her friend had a different idea.

"So it's true." The girl looked to both of her friend before her eyes landed on Angelica again. "No boy wants to kiss her." Another glance at her friend. "I bet her father is the only one."

"Shut up, bitch." Peggy, the youngest, growled. Five pairs of widened eyes turned to her. 

Maria recovered from the shock quickly. "Is your five year old sister you bodyguard now?"

"I'm ten." Her correction just made the other girls laugh.

"I can't wait to tell everyone that Angelica Schuyler had never been kissed."

Before she could defend herself, her father's voice rang out calling for the three of them to get to the car. That might have been for the best because Angelica had no idea what she was supposed to say to that. There was no way for her to defend herself. So she shot Maria a scowl then turned to run to her father's car.

The short ride home was spent with her in the front seat holding back tears. Her father of course noticed her distress but she refused to talk. She knew the moment she stepped out of the car one of her sisters would tell him anyway. There was no need for her to go through the embarrassment of what happened three times. Because of course she needed to tell her best friend. Usually Alexander wouldn't be home until fifteen minutes after she was because he took the bus from school. But today Rachel picked him up from class early because he had a doctor's appointment. Angelica wished his mother hadn't. If Alexander was there, Maria wouldn't have dare said the things she did.

"Drop me off in front of Alexander's house." She muttered as soon as they reached the block. She didn't want to walk from their garage if she didn't have to. Usually her father would decline such a request. He would want her to go home to clean herself up and do her homework. Today though, he could see that his daughter was upset about something. If she needed to talk to her closest friend before telling him about it, that was fine. So he stopped in front of the young boy's home.

"Tell Rachel I said hello, princess."

Angelica didn't respond. She all but jumped from the passenger's side of the car. Tightening her hands on her backpack straps as she stalked the short distance to the front door. She lifted her fist to rap against the wood of the door. Remembering the time Alexander told her their doorbell didn't work. There was shuffling on the other side of the door before Rachel answered it wearing her baking apron and a smile. Her expression sobered upon seeing Angelica standing in front of her, glossy eyed.

"Angelica, sweetheart, are you okay?"

Her nod couldn't be convincing. "Can I talk to Alexander?"

"Of course, sweetie." Rachel had a thing for pet names. She ushered her into the house. "He's in his room reading as usual."

Alexander's room door was shut when she got down the hall. But that small barrier never stopped them before. She twisted the knob and opened the it slowly. Giving him a few seconds of warning before she stepped in. Shutting it back behind her. Her best friend was at the desk in the corner of his room. Typing what looked like one hundred words a second on his laptop. He spared no glance away from his work. Acknowledging her presence with a nod followed by a simple,

"Hey, Schuyler."

"Hey, Alex." She tried, and failed, to keep her voice from wavering.

Silence filled the room when his lighting fingers froze on the keys. He twisted in his chair to finally look at her. "Angelica, what's wrong? Have you been crying?"

She shook her head. "Not yet."

"Why?" Alexander crossed the room to his friend to lead her to his bed. It was small. A twin size by the looks of it. "What happened in school?"

"M-Maria." Angelica felt the warm tears spill down her cheeks. It was frustrating and stupid that she was allowing herself to get emotional about something like this. "She's going to tell the whole school that i haven't had my first kiss."

He didn't even try to hide the confusion on his face. "What's wrong with that?"

"Ugh, Alexander!" She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Groaning as she did so. "Everyone has had their first kiss. We're in eighth grade for crying out loud! And now the whole school is going to know that no boy wants to kiss me."

"That's simply not true." Alex reached out to dry her face with his hoodie sleeve since her hand wasn't doing the trick.

"What isn't?"

"All of it. Everyone hasn't had their first kiss. I haven't."

She swatted his hand away. "You haven't?"

"No." His laugh was soft. "I didn't know it was such a big deal."

"Neither did I." It was easier to laugh about it now that Alexander was in the same boat.

"Also, tons of guys want to kiss you, Angie. My friend are always talking about how hot you are."

"Yeah, right."

"Everyone wants to kiss you."

"Even you?"

"Duh."

"Do it then."

Alexander's head snapped back hard enough to break his neck. "What?"

"If you want to kiss me so bad, do it then. That way, we'd both get our first kiss out of the way. We don't have to tell anyone who we kissed, only that we did it. It could be a best friend secret."

"A-Are you sure?" He was already leaning forward.

Angelica didn't bother answering with words. She closed the space between them. Barely brushing at first, and then more confidently. And yeah, maybe she could see what all the fuss was about now. 

**_And then we were seventeen:_ **

"This was the best birthday party ever!" Angelica rushed from her attached bathroom and flopped backwards onto her bed. She bounced twice before landing the final time. The sweet scents of her body wash and shampoo wafed from her as she did.

"I can still feel my eardrums vibrating." Alexander agreed. Sitting on the edge of the bed beside her hip. 

Angelica's father, being the cool dad that he was, allowed her to use the basement to throw the party of the year for her birthday. He let her invite as many people as the large room would allow, gave her the money for drinks and food, even hired a DJ as icing on the cake. Being that she was a year away from adulthood, Philip enforced only three rules during the affair.

1\. He was going to be in the house during the entirety of the party to make sure things didn't get out of hand. Albeit he was going to remain upstairs.

2\. There was to be no drug or alcohol use of any kind.

3\. The house would be cleared at the reasonable hour of eleven.

All of which she made sure to abide by. Well, mostly. She knew there was no way in hell her father would leave her the entire house to herself for that long. So one floor was more than good enough. Especially when the adult supervision was out of sight. The drug thing was also no problem. Angelica wasn't stupid enough to indulge in illegal substances. And there was barely any alcohol in the punch. The time limit was easier to put in place than she thought. All Alexander had to do was stand on a table and tell the room of teenagers that _Philip Schuyler is going to call the fucking police if you aren't out of his house in five minutes._ Needless to say the teens scattered like rats after that.

Twenty minutes later and she was still riding the high. She snuggled deeper into her stuffed bathrobe. "I feel like I'm glowing."

"You are." Alex laughed. "Seventeen looks good on you."

"It's going to look good on you too." Her head turned to look at him. 

He rolled his eyes. "My birthday isn't going to be half as insane as yours was."

"Sure it will."

"No it won't." He wasn't being modest. "Mom can't afford it. She's saving for school."

"Like you're not going to get a full ride."

"Of course I am. She's saving up to get me a car."

Angelica darted into a sitting position. "You know dad could help out with that." And then to clarify. "The party or the car. The party  _and_ the car."

Alex tried to hide his grimace. "Mom wouldn't accept that."

"Mom wouldn't or  _you_ wouldn't?"

He shrugged. "Either way, It's not being accepted."

"Alex, I've known you since we were five. You're my oldest friend. You're family." Angelica reached out to stroke his jaw with her thumb. "Let me help you."

His hand wrapped around her wrist. Giving off the illusion of holding it in place up until he snatched her hand away from his face. No.  _Snatched_ was too violent a word for anything Alexander Hamilton would do to Angelica Schuyler. Lowered was more like it. He lowered her hand onto her thigh that was exposed in the slit of the bright robe. Both of their eyes followed the path of their hands. Silent. Tense.

Angelica slowly lifted her gaze to his. Alexander had no choice but to hold it. There was something there, swimming deep in the dark depths of her irises. It would have been damn near too deep to notice if he didn't know the woman so well. That glazed over look was a part of her thinking face. She was considering something reckless. It was the same look in her eyes from last year when she convinced him they should get matching tattoos on their ankle. He'd given in last year and was now stuck with the letter A on his ankle in a bold script. Tonight, right now, there was the familiar feeling of his resolve weakening under those eyes.

"Schuyler?"

"I'm Schuyler now, am I?" When she leaned forward, Alexander leaned away. They hadn't done that since middle school. They promised each other that was the first and last time the pair would ever share a kiss.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to kiss you."

"Why?"

"Because I figured that would be the best way to start sex."

"Angelica." He gasped her name but his hand remained over her thigh. "What? Why?"

"We're graduating next year, Alexander." She said as is if it were obvious, which of course it was. But that still didn't explain- "We're going to go off to college and be surrounded by the sex, drugs and drinking lifestyle. And I-I want to partake in some of that. My first kiss was with you. My first tattoo was with you. My first time drinking was with you. I want all my first to be with you." Her hand flipped so she could intertwine their fingers. "I  _trust_ you, Alex. More than I've ever trusted anyone."

"Are you sure, Angelica?" Alex squeezed her hand in a death grip. Projecting all his nervousness through that. "You have to be sure."

The added pressure did nothing to deter his best friend. She let their interlocked finger slid higher up her thigh, under her robe, stopping when their knuckles touched the cotton of her panties. "I have never been more sure of anything in my life." She whispered. Alexander didn't know if she was masking her voice to be purposely seductive of if he was just turned on out of his mind. Could be both. Angelica let her fingers glide away from Alexander's. Leaving his hand hovering over her most private area solo.

He willed his nerves to relax. He didn't want to start shaking. "You know I've never done this. I-I've eaten a few girls out but-"

"Won't that just make it better?" She didn't let his eyes waver from hers when her hands reached to her waist to untie the robe. The knot came undone easily. The fluffy robe opened. Exposing more of her skin than Her best friend had seen before. So she wasn't wearing anything under the robe besides the panties. Good to know. "Being each other's first time again?"

Her tongue flicked out to moisturize her lips. Alexander's eyes jumped from hers to her mouth. His own tongue mimicking from pure instinct. A sudden burst of confidence surged through him. He could do this. Angelica was his best friend. He  _knew_ her. He'd never been more comfortable with another person. It only made sense they would lose their virginity to the other. Even if he did fuck up or do something embarrassing, he was doing it with Angelica. So he held his breath as his finger curved around the seat of her underwear. Slipping easily into the wet heat of her. She moaned louder than she should have in a house full of her family.

"You have to be quiet." He warned. Though he wanted to hear that sound over and over again. "If your dad finds out what we're doing he's going to kick my ass." Alex bit down on his lip. He could literally see Angelica's eyes darken with want as his second finger joined the first. He wanted another moan. Instead he got something that was _almost_ better than the sound. He got to watch his best friend's mouth go slack. His brain took a mental snapshot of her expression.

Angelica smiled like she would in the face of an actual camera. "Happy birthday to me."

 

**_And then we were eighteen:_ **

"Thomas Jefferson?" Alexander deadpanned as his best friend fixed the bow-tie around his neck. "Thomas fucking Jefferson?!"

Most of his friends were wearing ties to the event, Alex planned to as well. That was until his mother walked in his room with a small box that, after tearing the wrapping paper to shreds, contained an emerald green bow-tie. Silk by the feel of it. And how could he say no to something like that? Green was his favorite color after all. It reminded him of the soft strands of grass and home and safety and friendship.

There was a time when he hated the color and everything associated with it. He refused to wear it for months as a child. Wouldn't even eat candy with that particular hue. Because green was the first thing he saw when he entered the United States. Green was the reason he was 'forced' out of Nevis with his mother. It wasn't until many years later, when he was old enough to know the truth, did he find out green saved his life. That position his mother was offered in the states saved them from the poverty he didn't realize he was living in as a child. It gave his mother the chance to escape his abusive father. The father that Alexander thought he loved at one time, was now a man he greatly despised. His brother, James, choose to stay with the monster. His mother tried and tried but for some reason the boy had grown up hating her as much as he glorified their father. 

Green saved him in other ways as well. Green built his friendship with Angelica. The star eyed girl next door who spent at least an hour every day ripping grass with the weird little boy next door. The girl who convinced him that instead of killing the grass to get rid of the green, he should plant so many flowers that the grass was hidden under it. After that, all it took was his best friend wearing a green dress to the kindergarten dance to make him realize that green wasn't so bad.

"Don't you start with me, Alexander Hamilton." She finished the bow-tie and patted his chest. Spinning on her literal heels to face her vanity mirror again.

"Of all the douche bags in that school, you had to pick him?" He groaned.

"Okay, one, Thomas isn't a douche bag. And two," She held up the appropriate amount of fingers, "I said  _nothing_ when you decided to play kissy face with Maria fucking Reynolds for five months!"

Alex winced at the memory. "That's different."

"It is not!"

"Maria tortured you in  _eight_ grade. And she apologized for it."

"She only apologized after she had your dick in her mouth!"

" _Be that as it may,_ " Alex bit back his smile, "She still did it. Jefferson tried to make my life hell all of high school and still hates me to this day! Yesterday he called me a gremlin on Twitter!"

"Only after you called him a walking mop, Alex." 

"I don't want to get into the logistics of it all..." 

"So don't." His best friend applied a final coat of her lipstick. She could feel Alexander staring at her reflection in the mirror so she met his eyes. "Alex, Thomas is good to me. He's the first guy to be good to me in forever. He loves me." The wistful look in her eyes was enough to make him downcast his in shame.

"I'm sorry, Angel." Though the apology was for her, he spoke it to his shiny new shoes. "You deserve to be happy."

"Hey," The tip of her index finger pushed at his chin, tilting it as high as he usually held it. He tried to look everywhere but her beautifully made up face. Angelica was having none of it. She used her thumb to hold him steady. Their dark eyes clashed with an emotion too intense to put a name on. "I love you, stupid. I'll love you even if you beat up my boyfriend."

"Is that you giving me permission?" He joked weakly to lighten the mood. Her eye roll was one for the books. "I love you too." Alex added as more of an after thought. 

"I know you do." Angelica leaned past him to grab her graduation gown from the hook near her dresser. Pulling a face when she slid it on her arms and saw the way it clashed with her coral dress. "God, why do we have to wear such an awful shade of blue?"

"I like it." Alex shrugged. His gown was already on and zipped. "It's a royal color."

"You hate the monarchy."

"Must you always argue with me, woman?"

Angelica's bedroom door swung open while she was laughing at her best friend. Her younger sister Elizabeth stood in the entry way.

"You look great, Angie."

"Thank you, Eliza." 

"You too, Lexi!"

"Thanks." 

"Y-Your um parents are downstairs waiting for you." She motioned behind her with her thumb. "They want to know if you're driving with Angie or if you want to ride with them."

Alexander bit his tongue to prevent himself from screaming that George  _was not_ his father. He didn't have a father. Shame washed through him at the thought. George and his mother had been married for three years now. The man was around since Alexander started high school. During that time he'd been nothing but loving and supportive to not only his mother, but him as well. If he had to claim a man as his father after the disaster that was his birth one, George was a great option.

"Tell them I'm driving with Angie." He smiled. "I'll see them at the school."

Eliza leaned on the door frame. "Okay. I will." 

When she didn't relay the message immediately, her older sister offered her a puzzled look. "Did you need something else, 'Liza?"

"No." She seemed to snap out of some trance. "No. I was just.. You guys do look really great." If she was attempting to rush away before they saw how red her cheeks flushed, she failed.

"Eliza totally has a crush on you now or something." Angelica adjusted the cap on her head.

"Leave her alone." Alex bumped her hip with his own. "It's cute."

"Don't you go breaking my sister's heart, Alexander Hamilton." She was only half joking.

"I won't have the time." A wolfish grin took over his face. "I'm going to be too busy taking over the campus of my dream college."

"Okay, Mr. Brag-a-lot." She gestured for him to grab her pocketbook as they walked out of her room. "We can't all get into Columbia."

Alex swung the strap over his shoulder, trailing behind his favorite person down the grand steps of her house. 

"Like Stanford is any more modest." It was followed by a snort. "Don't forget about me when you're on the opposite side of the country."

Angelica winked over her shoulder as they descended. "I was going to say the same to you."

 

**_And then we were twenty:_ **

The pace of Angelica's heart rate picked up when she rounded the corner into her childhood neighborhood. Well not just childhood. It was the place she lived her entire life up until two years ago. A place her social and educational life only allowed her to visit once, maybe twice a year. But this year was different. It was Spring break and she was going to spend the entire trip surrounded by her family and old friends. Alexander informed her that he was going to be there as well and she hadn't seen him in a year.

The Uber slowed to stop in front of her house. As soon as it did, her door was being yanked open. The surprised yelp stuck in her throat when she felt herself being tugged from the back seat of the car and into a pair of familiar arms.

"Alexander!"

"Angelica!" He sung back. His hold on her tightening. " _Jesus Christ_ you're like a stranger or something." She was placed back on her feet. "Look at you."

"Look at me."

She was wearing her comfortable flight clothes. A pair of yoga pants and one of her Stanford sweaters. If her reflection in the cab window was anything to go by, she looked worn out. She felt it too. Up until she was pulled into a hug by her best friend. Alex brushed past her to retrieve her suitcase from the back seat. With the lift of a hand he waved he driver away.

"You look great by the way, Angel." He was saying as he walked her up the path to her house. It felt longer than she remembered it being. 

"Thanks, Alex. So do you."

He flashed a coy smile. "I've been working out."

"Oh really?"

"Really. It helps give me energy and let out my anger. Making me a stud is just icing on the cake."

"Okay Mr. Brag-a-lot." Angelica rolled her eyes fondly.

The door opened before they reached it. Peggy came storming out of the house as if she couldn't wait the extra second for them to walk in. She bowled into her sister. Almost knocking the both of them down in the process. Her youngest sister placed swift kisses all over her face that left Angelica feeling warmer than she had in a while. Peggy's arm locked around her waist. Her feet matching the older woman's steps so that they could walk into the house side by side.

Angelica was disappointed to find her father being the only one standing in the house waiting for them. Her eyes scanned the room in anticipation for someone else to come bursting out from behind a door. When the seconds passed with no such activity, she frowned.

"It's good to see you too!" Her father plied Peggy's possessive hands from her sister. Angelica allowed herself to be pulled into her father's firm embrace. 

"It's great to see you dad." And it was. At heart, she was and always had been a daddy's girl. "I was just... expecting more people."

"Mom wants to see you." Alex handed her suitcase off to her old man.

"Why didn't she come over?"

"It's been hard for her to move around since she got sick." Her best friend muttered offhandedly. As if he hadn't just dropped a huge storm cloud over the parade of her home coming. Her father looked away from them awkwardly. Peggy's pixie like demeanor vanished in an instant. It was like a flip was switched in the house. Changing the mood around them to a more somber one. While neither of the four was smiling anymore, Angelica was the only one who the news seemed to shock. It was clear that her father and sister weren't hearing the disheartening revelation for the first time.

"Rachel's sick?" The words were said as confirmation to the inner part of herself that was trying to convince her she heard wrong.

Alexander nodded anyway. "I took the last semester off to come home and take care of her."

"I didn't even know you took the last semester off. Apparently I don't know anything."

"We haven't had a lot of conversations recently." He didn't say it in an accusatory manner but Angelica still flinched. 

Of course she knew her life was chaotic. She was a sophomore, about to be junior, in college with a double major, a boyfriend, a mentoring job and a semi-active social life. But she convinced herself that no matter how busy she got, she would make time for the people back home. She should have realized that her visits were becoming scarce, phone calls become shorter, replies to text less frequent. It was embarrassing to be so wrapped up in her own world that she missed what was happening to the people she loved. 

"I want to see her."

A small smile played around the corners of his mouth. "Good because she's expecting you."

"Are you guys coming over with me?"

"I have a few work thing to take care of." Her father did not look sorry about it.

Margaret made a similar excuse. It wasn't a bother to Angelica. Maybe it would be better to see her without the audience of her family. 

She let Alexander lead the way out of the house fully expecting some kind of small talk or playful bickering to fill the silence as they walked to the neighboring house. There was none of that. His lips remained sealed and his gaze stayed straight ahead. Probably mentally preparing himself for the sight that waited for them in the house. Angelica didn't know what to expect. The dramatic side of her expected Rachel to be bed ridden, connected to a shit load of tubed and wires, maybe even a breathing machine. Though she silently prayed it wouldn't be the case, her imagination was running wild. 

What she did not expect to see when she walked into the house was the sick woman sitting on her favorite sofa while she screamed obscenities at the film playing on her television screen. An action movie by the looks of it. Tears of relief threatened to spill from her eyes while she watched the woman who'd been her only mother figure through out her life. She almost didn't want to disturb her telly time. In fact she probably would have turned and left if Alexander had not cleared his throat to gain his mother's attention.

There was no way to describe the pride of seeing the older woman's eyes light up at the sight of her. Angelica tried to rush to where she was sitting before she stood up. Let her save her energy. But Rachel was having none of that. With some effort, she lifted up from the couch. Squeezing the younger woman with a strength she was glad and surprised to feel.

"Look at you." Rachel unknowingly mimicked her son's words from minutes ago. "I'm convinced you get prettier every time I see you."

"I was just thinking the same thing about you." 

"You're a liar. A flattering one, but a liar none the less."

"I resent that! You definitely look-"

"Daddy said Angelica was here?" She spun around just in time to see Elizabeth walk in. "Angelica!"

"Eliza!" It took a millisecond for the sisters to grab for each other. 

"She was next door a second ago. Where were you?" Alexander asked. 

"I was across the street helping Mr. Seabery with his spring cleaning." 

" _Of course_ you were."

"Babe, don't you start." Her warning was half-hearted. 

Angelica's eye twitched.

"I  _know_ that man voted for Trump."

"He did not!" Eliza's soft laughter filled the room. She dropped her arms from her sister to swat at Alexander.  _Babe._  "Samuel is a good man."

"Who wants to make America great again."

"You two are ridiculous." Rachel pipped up playfully. And then to Angelica, "I swear they argue like an old, married couple."

"That's because arguing is in this guy's nature." Angelica's confused gaze didn't waver from her sister as she stepped over to slump herself against Alex's side. It appeared to be a natural thing for them considering the way Alexander draped his arm over her in return.

Angelica's eye twitched a second time. 

"I'm..." She trailed off to look between the three of them one by one... "Confused."

"What do you-" Elizabeth went frigid. "You didn't _tell her_?" 

Alex's face twisted with something. Embarrassment? Shame? Guilt? "It slipped my mind?" He offered making Angelica realize it was definitely the latter.

"I guess it did." Is what she heard her voice reply calmly despite the hurricane of thoughts fighting for dominance in her mind. She wanted to scream but she didn't understand why. Or she _did_ understand yet refused to acknowledge it. She came over to see a sick friend and ended up with another big revelation. How long had it been going on? How did it start? Was it serious? It was even more proof that she didn't check in enough with her family. Then again communication was a two way street. Her family clearly wasn't checking in with her. Either that or the people she trusted more than anything were deliberately hiding things from her. 

"I'm so sorry." Her little sister eye's were pleading with the apology she didn't need to supply. "I just assumed Alex would tell you. You two talk so much and- please tell me you don't hate this." And she'd never seen Elizabeth look so... so helpless. Like her happiness was riding on the next words to fall from her older sister's lips. 

Against her instinctive urge, Angelica forced a smile. "Of course I don't." Followed by a stage whispered. "But for the record, you could do so much better."

Alexander choked out a shocked laugh. "Oh fuck you!"

 

**_And then we were twenty two:_ **

It rains on the day of the funeral because God seems to hate Alexander Hamilton. If rain on your wedding day is considered ironic then rain on the day of your mother's funeral is just spiteful. Days like today is one of the reasons Alexander would rather not believe in a higher being. He'd like to just chalk it all up to life sucking. Because if there is a God and his mother, one of the sweetest women to ever walk to face of the Earth not only dies of stomach cancer, but also is going to buried in the pouring rain under gray skies, then God is a spiteful son of a bitch who apparently has it out for him. And that's a painful thought to have about the alleged creator of the universe. Even though his mother raised him with religious-like beliefs, today Alexander would rather not believe.

He expressed those bleak thoughts to his best friend the moment she stepped into the house. She'd taken a red-eye flight across the country to get there on time yet her attention didn't waver as he spilled his darkest thoughts to her. She sat on his mother's favorite couch with her hair and clothes battling for who was more the rumbled mess and she listened. Alexander didn't realize how much he needed an open ear until that moment. Not just any open ear, Angelica's. 

Angelica who was the first person to play with him when he made it into the united states. Angelica who helped him pluck the grass from his yard just because he didn't like the color. Angelica who used to beat up kids in school for teasing him about his accent. Angelica who would pick out boy clothes when her father took her shopping so she could sneak it to Alexander. Angelica who was the first person Alexander kissed. Angelica who was was Alexander's wing man all through out high school. Angelica who was the first person he made love to. Angelica who stood by and supported his relationship with her little sister for a year. Angelica who was his shoulder to cry on when it ended because of him. Angelica who was always there. And proved time and time again that she always would be, no matter what. 

"Maybe," She started after the tense silence of his broken words, "Maybe it's raining not because God hates you, but because even the heavens above are overwhelmed with feeling on a day like today." 

Angelica who always knew what to say.

***

Angelica Schuyler could go three days without sleep. It was something she learned about herself in her second year of high school. Alexander was refusing to close his eyes for more than a second and so she did to same. Only to watch over him and make sure he wasn't doing anything else too dangerous on top of being fatigued out of his mind. It was hell on Earth but she still managed it. So of course she could manage twenty five hours. That was all the time she was allotted in her home town for the spontaneous visit.

She'd been awake since she got off the plane at eight-o-clock last night. As expected, her best friend's mind was in no mood to grant him access to sleep. So she forced her mind into the same state. Instead they stayed up the entire night recalling fond memories of Rachel. At seven the next morning her family insisted she, Alexander and George should cross the yard to have breakfast with them. Eight marked the time where she took over the duties of calling to confirm time and location for the service and burial. Around ten in the morning Alex had another break down which triggered her own. Neither of them were good for public viewing until twelve in the afternoon. By then they were set to start preparing for the service at the church. The two hours she could have spent sleeping were instead spent picking her boyfriend up from the airport and taking him out for an extended lunch.

Rachel's funeral was as beautiful as it deserved to be. It began at two in the afternoon. The church was full of sobbing, prayers and story telling for the following hours. They didn't arrive at the place her body was to rest until almost six. The ground was muddy after the three consecutive days of rain. Everyone took shelter under their umbrella's as she was lowered. Everyone except Alexander. He stood a few feet closer than the rest of the crowd. His body turned in on itself as the northern downpour drenched him without mercy. Angelica, who'd previously been sheltered under Thomas's grand umbrella, allowed her body to be exposed to the element when she moved to wrap her arms around her closest friend.

Which was how she found herself wrapped in a blanket, sopping wet, with Alexander Hamilton an hour later. The other funeral goers were at the after-service her father and George were hosting at their house. They understood that Alexander wanted to be alone. They understood that Angelica needed to be with him. 

"Our flight leaves at nine." Thomas Jefferson's voice popped through the bubble of melancholy she and Alexander blew around themselves. Her sunken eyes met his from where he stood in the hall. Just a step away from entering Alex's room. "Can i talk to you privately?"

She glanced at Alexander who shrugged his answer. Angelica unraveled herself from the covers to follow Thomas down the hall to the living room. The way he was looking at his girlfriend made her feel like she'd lost her mind. She hated it.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Angie, look at you." His wrist flicked dismissively. "You're a mess."

Was he kidding? "The woman who was like my mom was just buried." 

"I know that. But you still need to get a warm shower and dry off before you get sick. And then you need to pack and say your goodbyes." When she didn't respond he groaned. "Angie, you know the school only allowed you the one day excused from your classes. Madison will flip his shit if you miss another day. He'll fail you." More silence. "Dammit, Angelica! I flew all the way out here to help you through this!"

That sparked a response. "And I'm trying to help my best friend through it-"

"By wallowing in isolation in a dirty blanket of sorrow and rain water?" Thomas cut her off. Sometimes their relationship was like this. Verbally violent.

"By doing whatever he needs." She corrected.

"You've been doing that for the last day. You can't afford to fail Madison's class and neither can I!"

" _He needs me_!"

"There's nothing you can do for him. Maybe the guy needs to see a shrink." Thomas sneered. "Even before this, there was something weird about him."

Angelica's jaw went slack. "How _dare_ you?"

" _Christ,_ Angie! It's like you're in love with him or something." Her mouth snapped shut. Thomas blinked at the silence. "You're in love with him?" He muttered more to himself than to her. "You're in fucking love with him!"

And it wasn't until her boyfriend said it the last time that she realized how true the words were. The revelation knocked the air from her lungs. It felt like a physical blow. Angelica staggered back. "Thomas-"

His eyes snapped to her as if he were just remembering she was in the room. The storm behind his hazel glare was another blow to her chest. "I invested years of myself into you! We're supposed to get married this summer after we graduate and you're in love with him." He ran his hand down his face in a way that looked painful. Like he was trying to stretch the skin off. " _Christ_!" 

"Thomas." Angelica had no idea what she was supposed to say to that. Denying it would be lying to his face. Confirming it would be willingly admitting how fucked she was. In the end she did neither.

She just watched as her boyfriend lost himself into his own hurt rage. Watched him scream into her face and shake her shoulders in attempt to make her speak. Watched him burst into tears and punch a dent into Rachel's wall near the television. Watched him snatch off the necklace she'd gotten him three Christmas's ago. Watched him stalk from the house, slamming the door with vigor behind him.

There was no way for her to know how long she stood in the living room watching the wall Thomas punched. 

"He's right, you know." Alexander spoke to the back of her head. "You're going to get sick if you stay in that dress."

So she took it off. Angelica stripped out of the uncomfortably wet dress and under clothes. Standing naked in front of Alexander for the second time in her life. During this ordeal her eyes remained focused on hole in the wall. She could hear Alexander moving behind her but she was too ashamed to turn around. There was no way around the fact that he heard the argument. The exposure of her feelings made her feel more vulnerable than the exposure of her bare body could ever hope to. 

"I didn't know." She whispered because she felt she had to explain. "I wasn't trying to hide it or anything. I just didn't know."

Her best friend finally closed the distance between them. His arms wrapped around the small of her waist from behind. Alex's chin rested perfectly over her shoulder. Placing his lips in direct line of her left ear. Apparently, he'd taken his own advice about wet clothes.

"I did."

 

**_And then we were twenty five:_ **

"So this is Nevis?" Angelica glanced over her shoulder, casting her eyes downward and squinting against the harsh glare of the mid-afternoon sun. Even in her dark, tinted shades the rays were blinding.

Alexander looked up at her from his spot on the blanket. From the angle he was watching her, the place of the sun in the sky, the way she was standing in his direct path of the brightest star, it gave off the illusion of the sun tracing the outer lines of her body. And if he stared long enough, Angelica looked like she was glowing. 

Her dark hair had been pulled into a makeshift bun on the top of her head to avoid her neck from sweating anymore than it already was. Stripping from her sundress the moment they stepped foot on the sand of the beach left her in only a emerald green, two piece swimsuit. The color was a powerful contrast against her skin that was already becoming beautifully sun-kissed. Alexander knew she chose the color because it was his favorite. He knew it was her way of trying to bring a bit of his current home to his past one. Dressing in the shade of the grass that graced both of their homes during their childhood was so like his wife. And now, as she lowered herself to lay across his chest, he couldn't believe he'd ever allowed himself to think he hated the color green.

it took a lot of self convincing for him to decide where they should honeymoon. Philip tossed in the usual ideas people with his kind of money were expected to give. The romantic islands of the Maldives. The gorgeous Greek Cyclades. The clear waters of Figi. Even Kenya for a luxurious and authentic safari experience. Don't get him wrong, they were all great ideas. But Alexander could hear his bank account weeping at just the sound of it. Granted, his wife's father did offer to pay it in full. But Alexander could never accept something like that from the man. Especially not for his honeymoon. Eliza thought on the more romantic side of things like Paris, Napa Valley or Bora Bora. Peggy, bless her twisted little heart, suggested they celebrate more locally. Like some five start hotel across the country where they could hold up in their room all day and 'Screw each other into a blissful state of numbness'. Her words not his.

In the end Alex decided on something more meaningful. Something to show his new wife that he put a lot of thought into the destination. He knew he wanted Angelica to see where he came from _eventually_. Sure, she'd heard all his stories about the town. Even saw a few pictures of him on the beach from his childhood. But neither of those things were personal enough. He wanted her to see the beauty of his home land with her own eyes. Smell the fresh air and salt water. Hear the people with the accent he'd nearly grown out of through the years. Feel the cool water on her skin and the warm sand on her toes. Taste the island dishes that were impossible to find the same way in the states. He wanted her senses to be flooded with Nevis.

More than that, he wanted her to see there was nothing wrong with where he came from. It wasn't littered with Mansions on every block, people in the finest clothes or even the perfectly green grass he'd grown to love. No, his town was far from the five star places she'd been raised in. His town had been completely destroyed and parts of it were still being build back to the beauty it once held. He was afraid she wouldn't see it as he did. Worried she'd brush it off and stick a knife through his heart with her dismissal. And he would never admit this out loud but a part of him was anxious that he himself wouldn't see the wonder in it anymore either.

All that worry vanished when he'd finally disclosed the honeymoon plans with her. Her eyes lit up with an excitement that even the greatest actress in the word could not fake. When they settled into their rented room and he walked her around the island, showing her the places he could remember, she cried. The surprising burst of emotion shocked both of them. It made Alexander fall even harder in love with her. When the tears finally stopped, she smiled. She asked him to show her the beach he loved so much that he was willing to pluck every blade of grass from his lawn for it.

So he did.

"This is Nevis." His hands rubbed up the line of her spine. Leaving small traces of the sand he'd been holding on her skin. She didn't complain. 

"It's beautiful." Angelica's chin poked into his bare chest when she turned her face up to look at him. 

Alexander reached over to lift her glasses into her hair. Exposing her eyes to his. " _You're_ beautiful, Mrs. Hamilton."

She closed her eyes, curving her lips into a soft rendition of a smile. "I never want to be called anything else."

He snorted. "You don't want me to call you Angelica?"

"No."

"Angie?"

"Nope."

"Angel?"

"Nah."

"Not even love?"

Her eyes opened. "You can call me that."

"Okay then, love. Would you like to go for a swim before we get dinner?"

"Yes please."

"Up you go!" Alex tapped her hip. Indicating she needed to move for him to move.

Stretching her arms, she lifted up from his chest. Making a show out of rising to her feet and dusting the sand off of her body. Alexander watched her movements gratefully. Sometimes when he looked at Angelica, when he realized he was allowed to be with this person for the rest of his life, he thought about believing in God again. Believing that the grand being didn't hate him as much as he thought before. Because if he did, why would he give him someone as perfect as his best friend?

"You have to get up too." Angelica poked her toe into his upper arm. Bringing the black, bold ' **A** ' decorating her ankle into his sight.  "Come on." 

"Do you want to race?" Alex challenged her when he was finally on his feet. He rubbed his hand on her backside under the guise removing more sand from her. 

She lifted a knowing eyebrow, reaching her own hand over to 'dust sand' from the front of his shorts. Alexander barked out a laugh. 

"Race to the water?" She asked when they were finished touching each other. 

"Yeah."

"What do I get when I win?"

"When you  _lose_ ," Alex corrected with a smirk, "You have to give me a one hour massage. Naked. Oils. The works."

"Oh you are _so_ on." She bent her knees in a running stance.

"On your mark." Alexander mimicked her posture.

"Get set." Angelica bit down on her bottom lip. Fighting off her smirk.

"Go!" Her husband's arms were circling her waist as soon as the word left his mouth. She allowed herself to be side tackled onto the warm beach. Giggling the entire way down. 

_**Fin !** _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much from getting through that super long story. I really hoped you enjoyed it. Please feel free to comment and tell me how you felt about it.


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